Dress



Aug. 24, 1937. A. QUlNN 2,091,084

DRESS Filed Oct. 27, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 24, 1937.

A. QUINN DRESS Filed Oct. 27, 1936 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llilim 32" ca nmmqwam 7 /442224,

Patented Aug. 24, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT, orrier 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in garments for personal wear, and more particularly to garments of the Wrap-around type which may be used either as dresses or as slip-over garments to' protect underneath dresses.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a garment which may be put on and removed with facility, which is effective in use both in permitting freedom of movement of the wearer and in providing adequate coverage for the person, and which presents a neat and attractive appearance.

Another object is to provide a garment of this character which is adjustable to all sizes, both at the neckline and the waistline, with the length alterabl e by means of a hem on the bottom, and which fits the body of the wearer smoothly and without bulging when so adjusted.

According to the invention, the back portion of the garment is formed by a pair of overlapping sections which, when adjusted to the wearer, fold one over the other approximately to the underarm seam. If the garment is not provided with a collar or back yoke, the overlapping sections form an adjustable neckline in the back. Each of the back sections has a tie string attached to its free edge adjacent the waist-line, the string on the underneath section being adapted to slip through a bound hole in one of the underarm seams and then through a hole or other opening provided at the end of a straplike extension attached to the front of the dress, while the tie string on the other back section passes over the other underarm seam and through a similar opening in another extension attached to the front of the dress. The tie strings are then doubled back and tied in a bow in the center of the back; alternatively, the tie strings may be provided with an adjustable button and buttonhole arrangement for connecting them together either in the center of the back or at one of the underarm seams. By pulling the strings through the openings in the extensions attached to the front of the dress, the overlapping of the back sections may be increased or decreased, and the size of the garment adjusted as desired. There is a slight fullness in the body of the garment to allow for the variation in size.

The front extensions are preferably made of firm pieces of material either bound or stitched to the front portion of the garment adjacent the waistline in such positions as to fit the front of the garment to the body of the wearer smoothly and without bulging when the tie strings are passed through the openings therein and doubled back to secured position. The openingsfor the tie strings may be either bound holes or slits, metal eyelets, rings, or straps, strips or loops of cloth or metal attached to the front extensions. Various other expedients may also be used for establishing a connection between the tie strings and the front portion of the garment such as to enable doubling back of the tie strings in order toobtain the tension necessary for the adjustment in size and for holding the garment snugly to the body of the wearer.

As exemplary of theinvention, three different forms of garment constructed in accordance therewith have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the outside ofone garment embodying the invention with the garment in spread out condition;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the garment of Fig. 1 as it would appear upon the wearer; and 20 Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Fig. 1 of two other embodiments of the invention.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the garment shown therein is of extremely simple construction consisting primarily of a pair of back sec-- tions 5 connected at their inner side edges to the outer side edges of a front section G along seams l and having secured to their outer side edges at about the waistline a pair of tie strings 8. The outer side edge of each of back sections 5 is out substantially on a diagonal from its top edge, where it joins the front section 6 to form the shoulder seam, down to the waistline, while from the waistline to the bottom it continues to flare but at a smaller angle. Arm holes 9 are provided by suitably shaping the upper portions of the adjacent edges of back and front sections 5 and ii and leaving the same unconnected. The edges of the arm holes may be suitably bound as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, or sleeves l0 may be connected thereto as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In order that the tie string 8 connected to that back section which lies underneath the other when the garment is worn may reach the outside thereof, an opening H, such as a bound slit, is provided in at least one of the underarm seams 'i. For uniformity in manufacture and in order to permit either back section to overlap the other as desired, it may be preferable to provide an opening H in each underarm seam, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, rather than to form only one such opening as in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2.

Secured to the front section 6, as by stitching thereto or binding into the seams thereof, and 55 located at about the waistline are a pair of straplike extensions I2 having openings l3 adjacent their ends through which the tie strings 8 are adapted to pass and double back toward the rear of the garment. In the example illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the openings l3 are formed by metal eyelets M; however, it will be obvious, particularly from the showing in Figs. 3 and 4, that these openings may be formed in a number of 10 different ways. As shown in Fig. l, the extensions l2 are connected to the front of the garment at such positions, and are of such length, that the tie strings 8 extend forwardly of the underarm seams I before passing through openings l3; they are also so positioned that, when the strings 8 are doubled back, drawn taut and connected together, as by a knot l5 in the center of the back, the front of the garment is pulled into a smooth, non-bulging fit with the body of the wearer.

The garment of Fig. 3 embodies the same essential elements as that of Figs. 1 and 2, but differs therefrom principally in that the back sections 5 are connected at their upper edges to rear yoke section it which is in turn connected to a collar [1, and in that the openings l3 through which the tie strings 8 pass are formed by rings 18 connected to the ends of extensions l2 by doubling the ends over and stitching together the doubled portions.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the upper edges of the back sections 5 are provided with curved portions I9 which are connected to the rear sections 20 of a divided yoke, said yoke sections being adapted to be secured together by a plurality of buttons 2! and buttonholes 22 so as to provide a yoke of adjustable size. This form of the invention also includes a further modification of the extension construction wherein the tie string receiving openings are: formed by strips 23 of cloth sewed at their ends to the extensions 12, and utilizes tie strings 8 of different lengths which are adapted to be adjustably connected together by means of a button 25 and a plurality of buttonholes 26.

There is thus provided by the present invention an improved form of garment or dress of the wrap-around type which is of extremely simple construction well suited to economical quantity production, may be slipped on and oil with ease and rapidity, and is adjustable in size so as to properly fit wearers of various builds. This garment may also be opened out flat for ironing, and neatly and compactly folded for storage. These and other features which will be apparent from the foregoing description make the garment of the present invention particularly useful for maternity wear or as a uniform for workers in hospitals, hotels, factories and the like.

Although three different forms of garment have been described and illustrated in relatively conventional manner in the accompanying drawings, it will be readily understood that these drawings are for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as definitive of the scope of the invention. It will also be recognized that these garments may be made in various materials and styles and with or without ornamental features and finish which it is unnecessary to show in the drawings. It should therefore be apparent that the invention is not limited to the particular constructions shown in the drawings but is capable of a variety of mechanical embodiments. Reference is therefore to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the in- Vention.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No. 71,721, filed March 30, 1936.

What is claimed is:

1. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a pair of back sections connected to said front section and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to each of said back sections, said dress having at least one opening therein through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, and means secured to said front section through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and double back toward said back sections, the ends of said tie strings being adapted to be adjustably connected together at a point rearwardly of said means.

2. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a pair of back sections connected to said front section and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to each of said back sections, said dress having at least oneopening therein through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, and means secured to said front section through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and with which said strings cooperate in adjusting the dress to the body of the wearer and securing the same in adjusted position.

3. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a pair of back sections connected to said front section and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to each of said back sections, said dress having at least one opening therein through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, and a pair of straplike members secured to said front section with their free ends extending away from one another and including opening-forming means at said ends through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and double back toward said back sections, the ends of said tie strings being adapted to be adjustably connected together at a point rearwardly of said members.

4. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a'pair of back sections connected at their inner edges to the outer side edges of said front section and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to the outer edge of each of said back sections adjacent the waistline, said dress having an opening in at least one of the seams between said front and back sections through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, a pair of straplike members secured to said front section with their free ends extending away from one another, and means including said tie strings for drawing the free ends of said members and the outer edges of said back sections toward one another so as to adjust the dress to the body of the wearer and for securing the same in adjusted position.

5. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a pair of back sections connected at their inner edges to the outer side edges of said front section and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to the outer edge of each of said back sections adjacent the waistline, said dress having an opening in at least one of the seams between said front and back sections through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, a pair of straplike members secured to said front section with their free ends extending away from one another, and means carried by the free ends of said members through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and with which said strings cooperate in adjusting the dress to the body of the wearer and securing the same in adjusted position.

6. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a yoke secured to said front section and divided rearwardly into two sections, means for adjustably connecting said yoke sections together, a pair of back sections connected at their inner side edges to the outer side edges of said front section and at their top edges to said yoke sections and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to each of said back sections, said dress having at least one opening therein through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, and means secured to said front section through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and double back toward said back sections, the ends of said tie strings being adapted. to be adjustably connected together at a point rearwardly of said means.

7. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a collar secured to said front section, a pair of back sections connected at their inner side edges to the outer side edges of said front section and at their top edges to the rear of said collar and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to each of said back sections, said dress having at least one opening therein through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, and means secured to said front section through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and double back toward said back sections, the ends of said tie strings being adapted to be adjustably connected together at a point rearwardly of said means.

8. An adjustable dress consisting of a front section, a back yoke secured to said front section, a pair of back sections connected at their inner side edges to the outer side edges of said front section and at their top edges to said back yoke section, and adapted to be wrapped around the body of the wearer in overlapping relation, a tie string attached to each of said back sections, said dress having at least one opening therein through which the tie string attached to the underlying back section may pass, and means secured to said front section through which said tie strings are adapted to pass and double back toward said back sections, the ends of said tie strings being adapted to be adjustablyconnected together at a point rearwardly of said means.

ADA QUINN. 

